Long Term Projects

Our long term projects range from one visit a year, to one visit a month! Read more about each project using the links below.

Monitoring means recording the wildlife and ecology of the same site over a number of years and helps us to understand how that environment is changing. If enough sites are regularly monitored, we can build up a picture of the changing face of Wiltshire. Although the WSBRC receives records from a great many sources, the majority are provided by volunteers involved in one of its long term or short term projects.

By drawing together and mapping the distribution of species and habitats across the county, it is possible to identify where conservation effort needs to be targeted and where scarce resources are best allocated, the basis of the Biodiversity Action Plans. Knowing where key habitats and species are located is also important in ensuring that wildlife interests are properly considered in the local authority planning process.

Protected Road Verge Scheme

Monitors look after specific wildlife rich Protected Road Verges. Run in conjunction with Wiltshire County Council and its highways contractor, Ringway Parkman Mouchel, sites are visited at least once a year and brief reports are sent to the Records Centre. Only a few vacancies for monitors exist. Find out more about the project

River Monitoring Scheme

Volunteers receive training to carry out regular surveys of selected stretches of Wiltshire’s rivers. They survey for particular invertebrate species that are good indicators of water quality as well as plants, birds and mammals. There is currently no limit on the number of monitors but all must undergo training. Find out more about the River Monitoring Project.

Habitat Surveying

This project helps us build up a comprehensive map of all habitat types for the whole of Wiltshire and Swindon; this will be held in electronic format using a Geographical Information System (GIS) and will be used for similar purposes to our species records. Currently just over 50% of the County has been mapped, and so we would welcome any interested volunteers to assist in gathering more up to date and/or missing information. Find out how to get involved